Canon has refreshed its range of premium compact cameras, including the G series and S series, along with new additions to the SX lineup of ultra zoom compacts. And the Canon G16, S120, SX510 and SX170 all come with Wi-Fi.
First up, the G series, and Canon's long established back-up camera sees the Canon G16 replacing last year's Canon G15. It features the same 12.1 megapixel count, but Canon says that the sensor is newly designed.
The key feature Canon really wants to push is the new Digic 6 processor, which enables the Canon PowerShot G16 to shoot at 9.3fps (JPEG only, with no continuous autofocus) with no buffer - it will last as long as there's memory on the card. You can also stop shooting and restart again without having to wait.
That processor should also allow for improved performance when shooting in low light. Shooting at up to ISO 12800 is available, too.
As is starting to become standard for compact cameras, the Canon G16, like all of the new compacts announced today, features Wi-Fi connectivity. That enables you to do such things as back up images to your computer via the Canon Image Gateway and share images to tablets and smartphones.
The Canon G16 features a 28mm 5x optical zoom lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8. Canon has kept the same optical viewfinder that was found on previous G series cameras.
Mini me
Next up is the newest addition to the S family, the Canon S120, which replaces the Canon S110. This camera also features that ultra fast Digic 6 processor, enabling fast shooting speeds that are marginally faster than the Canon G16, at 9.4fps.
In many respects, the Canon PowerShot S120 is designed to be a miniature version of the Canon G16, and so shares quite a few specs with its larger sibling.
It also has a 5x optical zoom lens, which now features an f/1.8 maximum aperture - a first for the S series. It starts at slightly wider than the Canon G16, at 24mm.
Unlike the Canon G16, the Canon S120 has a touchscreen, while a control ring around the lens can be used to change customisable settings.
Both of these cameras also have a Star mode, for use when photographing stars at night. Different fully automatic modes produce the optimum settings for photographing night skies, star trials or a time lapse movie. Both star trail and time-lapse movies can be created within the camera itself without the need for post-production.
The Canon PowerShot G16 price will be £529.99 (around US$830/AU$920), while the Canon PowerShot S120 price will be £449.99 (around US$705/AU$780). They'll both be available from mid-October.
Bridge camera too
Also announced today are the Canon PowerShot SX510 and the Canon PowerShot SX170.
The Canon SX510 is a miniature bridge camera that features a 30x optical zoom, starting at 24mm at the widest point. It also features a 12.1 million pixel sensor along with a Digic 4 processor.
Meanwhile, the Canon SX170 is an advanced compact camera that features full manual control and a 16x optical zoom.
The Canon PowerShot SX510 price will be £289.99 (around US$455/AU$505), while the Canon PowerShot SX170 will be £169.99 (around US$265/AU$295). They will be available from the end of August.
